Flexible door



(No Model.) sheets-sheet 1.

A. S'. SPAULDING.

FLEXIBLE DOOR. y

`Patented June' 25., 1895.

(No Model.) j 2 sheets-'snepna A, S. SPAULDING'.

FLEXIBLE DOOR. No. 541,696. Patented June 25, 1895.

UNrrs g STATES PATENT turca@ ALGENON S. SPAULDING, OF VOROESTER,MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE FLEXIBLE DOOR AND4 SHUTTER COMPANY, OFPORTLAND, MAINE.

,'F'LEXIBLE DOOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,696, dated June 25,1895.

Application led August 4l 1892.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that'I, ALGENON S. SPAULDING, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and usefullmprovement in FlexibleDoors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the saine, and in which-Figure 1 represents in front elevation a liexible door with a portion ofthe casing removed in order to disclose the connected mechanism by whichthe door iswound into a coil or roll within a pocket at the side of thedoor-opening. Fig. 2 is a top view of the jointed track upon which thedoor slides. Fig. 3 is a View of the lower end of the vertical rotatingspindle around which the door is coiled, andV representing one of thecollars attached to the spindle, to which one edge ofthe door isconnected. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View of the track on line 4,4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 isatop view of the iiexble door as partially coiledaround the vertical rotating spindle and within the inclosing pocket;and also representing the connected operative mechanism by which thedoor is wound. Fig. 6 represents in side View that part ot' theoperative mechanism shown in Fig. 5, a portion of the upper supportingframe having been removed on line 6 6, Fig. 5; and Fig. '7 is a topviewof the gear and the case inclosing the spring by which the door iswound; the top of the case and the ,flange upon the hub of the gearhaving been removed on line 7, '7, Fig. 6; and Fig. 7 also shows therelative position of the jointed track to the spindle around which thedoor is coiled.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the dierent figures.

My invention relates to the connected operative mechanism by which aeXible door is wound into a coil and about a vertically rotatingspindle, and it consists in the construction and arrangement of theseveral parts as hereinafter described and specitlcall y pointed out inthe annexed claims.

A denotes the body of the flexible door,

Serial No. 442,200. (No model.)

parallel strips, or leaves, preferably of wood, and hinged together attheir edges.

B is a Vertical rotating spindle conveniently .placed within a pocket Bat the side of the door-opening. The lower end of the spindle ispreferably conical, or pointed, as at B2, Fig. 3, and rests upon a stepB3. The upper end of the vertical spindle is journaled in a bearing B4in the end of a screw threaded bolt B5, which enters a screw threadedboss B6 of the metallic frame B7, which is securely attached to theinner sides of the pocket B.

Attached to the spindle B are collars B8, one

of which is shown in Fig. 3. To these collars the edgeof the Vdoor isattached and about them the rst coil of the door is wound as thelspindle B is rotated. y Y Each of the strips, or leaves of the door A,is provided with pins C projecting a short distance from the upper endof the leaves and engaged by the teeth of the gear wheel C', which turnsupon a stud C2 held in the frame B7. The hub of the gear O forms a drumC3 having a flange C4. To the hub C3 is attached one end ofthe metallicband, or ribbon C5, the opposite end of which is attached to the hollowdrum D, which turns loosely about the spindle B and incloses aclockspring D having one end attached to the spindle B, and .theopposite end attached to the inside of the hollow drum D. y

The arrangement ot' the gear C', band or ribbon C5, drum D and inclosedclock-'spring D', is such that when the door is pushed in thedirectionof the arrow 1, Figs. and 5,the gear C will be rotated in the directionof `the arrow 2, causing the metallic band C5 to be wound upon the drumC3 and unwound from the hollow drum D rotating the drum upon the spindleB and causing the clock-spring D to be coiled up, so its tension will beapplied to rotate the spindle B, and canse the door to be wound up; thepins C acting as a rack to rotate the gear C and coil up the spring D;and the tension of the spring when so coiled, is applied to rotate thespindle B and coil up the door.

In setting up the door the coiled spring inclosed in the drum D is woundup so the tension of the coiled spring will be nearly, but not quitesuicient to overcome the weight ssl IOO

and friction of the open door, so the door will not be wound up by thetension of the spring, except as the door is closed in the direction ofthe arrow l, Figs. l and 5 when the pins C will rotate the gear wheeland through the metallic band O5 the drum D, so as to still further windup the spring and cause it to rotate the spindle and wind up the door asit passes by the gear wheel.

Upon the floor I place a track E, consisting of a metallic plate,provided with a central rib E', which enters the groove in the loweredge of the door. Between the side casings of the door, the track E maybe formed of a single continuous strip, as the door is always moved in astraight line, but as the track approaches the rotating spindle B, itsinner end is jointed, or formed of a series of links E2 hinged together,in order to allow the door to be delivered to the coil upon which it iswound at a tangent to the periphery of the coil.

The position of the jointed section of the track, as the winding isbegun is represented by the broken lines F, Fig. 7 and as the coilincreases in diameter by the winding of the door, the jointed sectionassumes the position represented in Fig. 7 by solid lines.

'lhe straight portion of the track is fastened to the floor, orthreshold and the jointed section is left free to move laterally withthe door and as the ribs E upon the links E2 enter the .groove in thelower edge of the door, the door is held from fbuckling and is conductedover the jointed section of the track from the straight section, to thecoil.

The lower end of the spindle B is supported upon a fixed step B3, butthe upper end is held by the bolt B5 which is capable ot' a lateraladjustment, so as to cause the spindle B to be held in a true verticalposition or slightly inclined, in order to raise or lower the free edgeof the door and bringits lower edge parallel with the track E. Thespindle B is held in its upper bearing by a cap G provided with gibs Ginclosing the tapering sides G2 of the head of the bolt B5 and is heldfrom sliding l. The combination with a flexible door and a spindlearound which said door is wound, of a spring operatively connected withsaid spindle, so its tension will cause the spindle to rotate and windup the door, and intermediate connecting mechanism betweensaid springand said flexible door, whereby said spring is wound up by the lateralmovement of the door as it is opened, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a rotating spindle, and a flexible door attachedat one edge to said spindle and provided with a series of projecting andequi-distant pins, of a gear wheel engaged by said pins, so as to berotated by the lateral movement of the door in opening, or closing, adrum attached to said gear wheel, a hollow drum turning on said spindle,a spring inclosed in said hollow drum and operatively connected withsaid drum and said spindle, and a flexible band connecting said hollowdrum, and the drum on said gear wheel, whereby the rotation of said gearwheel will rotate the hollow drum and wind the inclosed spring duringthe process of opening the door, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a flexible door, and a spindle around which saiddoor is wound, of a track E provided with a jointed section comprisingthe links E2, said jointed section being capable of a lateral movement,whereby the Iiexible door is conducted over said jointed track, in aline substantially tangential to the coil upon which it is to be wound,substantially as described.

Dated this 30th day of July, 1892.

ALGENON S. SPAULDING.

XVitnesses:

RUFUs B. Fownnn, H. NV. FOWLER.

